How to take care of a wheel?

rubbertoe34

rubbertoe34

77
United States
Los Angeles
Uhraknid
Uhraknid
I own the Driving Force GT for about a week now and I love it! I've set the settings to Simulation and dialed the force-feedback to 3, because I was worried the rattling would mess the gears inside.

I was wondering if there are ways to ensure that the DFGT, or any wheel really, will last the longest with good care? For example, is there a preferred sensitivity, feedback scale, amount of playtime, playstyle, etc?

I'm hoping this can help anyone else that may have a wheel :)

PS: I was wondering, what do the red dial and the plus-minus button actually do on the DFGT? I know it has to do with the brake bias, but I never found an actual explanation or anything online.
 
Setting it to simulation does nothing. It's not for your wheel, I made the same mistake after being told by my friends to change it. As for the red dial, while you are playing, push the button inside the red dial and you will get a menu, the +/- move the cursor up and down, and the red dial turns to adjust the amount. You can adjust traction, brake bias, and aids.

I've had my DFGT for almost 2 years, feedback on 5. No damage or issues so far, I play a lot. Only suggestion would be to keep it covered when not in use to keep the dust away.
 
DeifieD
Setting it to simulation does nothing. It's not for your wheel, I made the same mistake after being told by my friends to change it.
Click to expand...

What do you mean, exactly? And I thought I noticed a difference, it felt a bit looser to me, but maybe that's just me lol. But anyways, thanks for the feedback so far!! :)
 
I've wondered myself about the rattling. Been playing ETS2 with it and when it's centred all I hear is rattling like a child with a rattle. Hope this sustained won't break it.
 
rubbertoe34
I own the Driving Force GT for about a week now and I love it! I've set the settings to Simulation and dialed the force-feedback to 3, because I was worried the rattling would mess the gears inside.

I was wondering if there are ways to ensure that the DFGT, or any wheel really, will last the longest with good care? For example, is there a preferred sensitivity, feedback scale, amount of playtime, playstyle, etc?

I'm hoping this can help anyone else that may have a wheel :)

PS: I was wondering, what do the red dial and the plus-minus button actually do on the DFGT? I know it has to do with the brake bias, but I never found an actual explanation or anything online.
Click to expand...
Driving Force GT will last about 200 000km.
Then brush of the electric motor will wear.
I use my with force-feedback to 10 already 3 years end gears are like new.
 
I have a Logitech G25, FFB always set to 10, I've had it for just over 5 years now. Done loads of racing on GT5 Prologue, GT5, & a little bit in GT6.

My advice is to try & not pulling or pushing the wheel. I've noticed that some players get over enthusiastic with it as they steer, & pull it all over the place. I'm very gentle & smooth with it, & I guess that's one of the reasons mine has lasted so long.
 
rubbertoe34
What do you mean, exactly? And I thought I noticed a difference, it felt a bit looser to me, but maybe that's just me lol. But anyways, thanks for the feedback so far!! :)
Click to expand...
It's called the placebo effect, go to settings and look, the wheel is greyed out when you adjust the setting. I thought the same thing until someone corrected me.
 
VBR
I have a Logitech G25, FFB always set to 10, I've had it for just over 5 years now. Done loads of racing on GT5 Prologue, GT5, & a little bit in GT6.

My advice is to try & not pulling or pushing the wheel. I've noticed that some players get over enthusiastic with it as they steer, & pull it all over the place. I'm very gentle & smooth with it, & I guess that's one of the reasons mine has lasted so long.
Click to expand...

Like this?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0638.JPG
    IMG_0638.JPG
    178.4 KB · Views: 16
I agree with the responses posted. I have a DFGT and have well over 20,000 miles logged and have no issues. I keep it covered when not in use to keep out dust (aka prime electronics killing particulates).

I'm a smooth racer too, and I'm not tough on the wheel and pedals. I could be under the wrong assumption, but I try to avoid the dirt races as it seems the wheel motors work overtime to simulate the rough terrain.

I've been concerned the pedals would stop working, but I think new wheels are generally of higher quality than what was produced 10-15 years ago. Actually, I think the first things to break will be the sequential gear shifter or the D-pad due to heavy use, but we'll see.
 
rubbertoe34
I own the Driving Force GT for about a week now and I love it! I've set the settings to Simulation and dialed the force-feedback to 3, because I was worried the rattling would mess the gears inside.

I was wondering if there are ways to ensure that the DFGT, or any wheel really, will last the longest with good care? For example, is there a preferred sensitivity, feedback scale, amount of playtime, playstyle, etc?

I'm hoping this can help anyone else that may have a wheel :)

PS: I was wondering, what do the red dial and the plus-minus button actually do on the DFGT? I know it has to do with the brake bias, but I never found an actual explanation or anything online.
Click to expand...

It's best to raise this type of question in the hardware section:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/board/sim-racing-hardware.163/

A lot of points have already been made. Some wheels need to stay on after you have stopped racing for the fans to keep running and get the wheel fully cool - if the fans go off, which happens when you switch off the PS3, the wheel continues to heat up inside the casing which can lead to premature failure. With the T500RS it is recommended that the wheel and PS3 stay on for 45 minutes after you stop racing.

Mounting of the wheel is very important - it must be in a comfortable position, at the correct angle and distance to suit you - so that you are not pulling the rim toward you as this will cause wear / failure of the bearings. Before I bought a good stand (wheelstand pro) I was using a homemade one and the pedals and wheel kept slipping away from me so I was constantly pulling the rim of the wheel towards me - this would have damaged the wheel in the long term.

I use my wheel every day so don't cover it, but if I was going on holiday or for a few days on business I would cover the wheel and pedals with a sheet.

Some people have pets in the house - I was with a friend who has an Alsatian and a DFGT. He was having trouble with the pedals and when he dismantled them the amount of dog hairs that had somehow got under the casing into the pedal mechanism was amazing - so if you have dogs in the same room as your wheel keep the pedals covered when not in use and regularly inspect inside the pedal casing and clean if necessary.

I try to remember to take regular breaks from racing - it is good for me and the wheel to have regular breaks and is advised in the instructions which come with wheels.

Regarding Force Feedback - I used 5 on my DFGT and use 5 on my current wheel. A lot of experts recommend a setting of 4 so that the more subtle effects are not drowned out (although I am not a good enough player to notice the difference). I have tried using a setting of 10, which is fun for a while, but is slower - GT Academy and other very fast racers normally use low FFB settings not high ones.
 
I just use leather cleaner and conditioner on the leather parts on my G25.

Other than that, I do nothing to it.
 
I dust it off occasionally and put the plastic bag, that came with it, on after usage. I don't really know what else I could do. :P
 
rubbertoe34
What do you mean, exactly? And I thought I noticed a difference, it felt a bit looser to me, but maybe that's just me lol. But anyways, thanks for the feedback so far!! :)
Click to expand...

Nope, those settings do not apply to your wheel. Besides your wheel being greyed out when that option is selected, the scrolling text under the menu further states the fact that those settings don't apply for your wheel.

As for care of the wheel, I have done nothing more than dust it off on a regular basis and keep the steering wheel itself clean by wiping it down with Windex. I've had mine for about 4 years now with FFB on 7 and its still going strong. (knock on wood) (G27)​
 
The only thing I really do is take breaks at least every hour for 5-10 minutes. You can use whatever FFB you want, it's made for it! Key things to keep in mind - as posted by others also - heat/dust/smoke is bad for it! Keep it clean/cool and it'll last you years.

I've had my wheel for about 4 years now with heavy/rough use, not to mention my 2 year old beats the crap out of it, and it's still going strong.
 
I've had a G25 since 2008 and race way over 50,000 miles a year with it. I started with the feedback at 5 and backed it off progressively from quite early on because I was concerned about the squeaks and groans coming from it. I ended up on setting 1 and just drive with a light touch. I can honestly say that it still functions exactly the same as it did the day I got it.

On the subject of simulation settings, there is one called 'powered steering' I think, which I ignored for years. Then I was told by a chap that this setting replicates the force you feel in a real car once the back end steps out; it actively pushes the wheel around to apply opposite lock, just as happens in the real world.

It's brilliant! I actually sent my first wheel back many years ago because I found that I was fighting it in a situation where I was trying to apply opposite lock, and it had been resisting me in a way I knew to be contrary to how cars do in reality. Power Steering overcomes that, I can recommend it.

Cheers, Zo.
 
There is only the thing about the pedals.
They get dirty with use and may become erratic in it's normal functions. Either accelerating or braking randomly or not as you intend.
What I recommend is that from time to time (around 4/6 month) you disassemble the pedals and clean dust accumulated and use some WD40 to clean the connections. I used to have this situation and it helps.

Take care and good races
 

Latest Posts

Back